No Time To Die | A Hunger Games FanFiction TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED

𝖳𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗒-𝖮𝗇𝖾

It's night time when Cato checks up on me. He knocks on my door but I'm too tired to get off the couch to answer it.

"Clo." He says, the call gradually getting louder the more he tries. Suddenly he bursts through the door, spotting me on the sofa.

"Jesus Cato!" I jerk.

"Sorry, you wouldn't answer it."

I roll my eyes and readjusted, facing Cato. There's silence as he stands against the wall cross armed, looking at me softly.

"You wanna talk about it?"

I make eye contact with him for a split second before shaking my head and looking away. I'm on the verge of tears and I'm scared that if I look at that boy any longer I won't be able to keep it in.

"Hey." He walks over to me and sits next to me. I'm facing away from him as I feel his weight come closer to me. He hesitates before placing his hand on my leg, tracing tiny circles with his thumb.

"If you don't want to talk to me about it, who can you talk to?"

I hesitate, still not daring to look at him. "No one." I admit reluctantly. I look with just my eyes, spotting the sadness in his face. "I guess I was just scared." I muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Scared that the boy I loved was keeping a secret from me this whole time. That all the charm and wit he used to make me fall for him had a different motive." My voice breaks, I take a deep breath, still trying to stop the tears from falling again. I feel Cato's gaze on me strengthen, and I finally give him. Looking at him. "I don't know I guess I just thought, that maybe you were just tricking me with your affection. That all of it was a lie in a way." I shrug.

Cato looked down, still rubbing my leg softly for comfort. "I wish you could see how you look in my mind. And how wrong you are. Clove I don't know what I could tell you to help you see through those worries. But just know that those thoughts are all wrong. Clove I don't regret anything that happened in the games, and I wouldn't trade anything for the same ending. As long as I'm out with you. That's all I care about. You're safe. I can't fake emotions like that even if I tried. That night on the rooftop was all real, everything leading up to where we are now is real."

I look over at him, his hand has moved from my leg to my waist, pulling me in closer.

"It's not lies Clo. It's the truth. I didn't know anything about my father's games until a few hours ago, and you're the one who helped me see sense. You're so strong, and I depend on you too much. Clove there's no need to guard yourself around me. You and me both know that after all we've been through together, the only person we can fully trust is each other. Without one another we'll fall apart. At least I know that's right about you for me. Now please. Please baby, let me guard you for once."

The tears come out finally, unloaded from in the arena, the moments with my mother, to the Hadleys. They might've gotten my family, but their boy was mine. There was nothing they could do to prevent it. He loved me, and that's all that mattered to me. He holds me tighter as I bury my head into his shoulders, releasing the break down I tried so desperately to stall for the longest time.

~

The next day was the party at the Capitol. Me and Cato had been watching Katniss and Peeta's tour all day. Mainly to avoid his parents who were still trying to explain to us things that meant nothing now. Nothing, it means nothing and they mean even less. The districts reacted differently to the two of them compared to us. Looking at what Eno said, it's obvious who the symbol of the rebellion is.

Around noon is when Siri, Fabbia, and their crew piled into my house. Fabbia wouldn't stop gushing about how the place is in desperate need of a makeover and she'll happily help.